


Wide Green Eyes

by itsfaberrytaboo (orphan_account)



Series: Wide Green Eyes [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Play, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bigs and littles are known, Bottle-Feeding, Diapers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Laura Barton is a good bro, Maria needs a hug, Natasha Needs a Hug, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Sickfic, Wetting, and Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:59:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6713374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/itsfaberrytaboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria knew Laura got why she hadn’t come to any of the weekends at the farm besides that first visit, when they’d discovered Natasha was little. She knew… things hadn’t been easy. Sure, they were adjusting, but it hadn’t exactly been smooth-sailing, discovering that the one who thought she was little wasn’t, and the one who couldn’t trust suddenly was thrust into needing to trust someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wide Green Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help but continue this 'verse because I love it so much. I hope everyone enjoys.

Twice a month, Clint and Laura packed up the kids and shuffled them off to Laura’s parents upstate for the weekend. Lila and Cooper got to have all the toys and candy they could possibly want, Nathaniel got endless grandma and grandpa-snuggles, and Laura and Clint got to have a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to do whatever _they_ wanted, even if it was something as simple as go to the grocery store in peace and quiet.

One weekend out of those two, they invited the Avengers to the farm. They expected nothing; they didn’t even expect anyone to come. And sometimes no one did. Sometimes Steve just came, to sit and talk softly with Laura about _things_ while Clint sprawled on his stomach in the living room floor and watched cartoons. Sometimes Tony came with Pepper, and Laura and Pepper sat and had some much needed “mom talk” while Clint patiently pulled Lego out of Tony’s mouth – and hid his pacifier until Tony screwed up his face to let loose with a wail. Somehow the pacifier always got popped in just before Tony had time to throw a fit, and before Laura had time to fuss at a wayward little.

But whether they had a little (pun _very_ intended) crowd, or everyone all at once, everything was always waiting when someone arrived. Toys, games, books. Wine, beer, burgers. Laura was the consummate mother of her 3 children, and, Clint was proud to say, one of the best caregivers he thought he’d ever known. Somehow, she just _got it_.

Maria knew Laura got why she hadn’t come to any of the weekends at the farm besides that first visit, when they’d discovered Natasha was little. She knew… things hadn’t been easy. Sure, they were _adjusting_ , but it hadn’t exactly been smooth-sailing, discovering that the one who thought she was little wasn’t, and the one who couldn’t trust suddenly was thrust into _needing_ to trust someone.

Still, they were making it work, slowly but surely. Maria delayed moving out of the tower, because – though it hadn’t happened yet – Natasha might need her at night, and she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being away from her. Natasha favored being in Maria’s apartment more than her own, which was surprising; Maria had thought Natasha would want to negotiate their newfound bond on her own turf. But soon her apartment was filled with toys and clothes and pacifiers, things that she and Natasha bought together, and some things that each of them bought on their own. A few things Maria had had to take back – a rattling toy had not gone over well, and Maria cursed herself for it – but for the most part… it was working.

Natasha still had her moments where she tried to deny the fact of who she was. And she was pretty good at it, too; Black Widows were notorious for playing a role, Maria knew. But somehow the bond had cued Maria into knowing just when Natasha was, as Maria put it, “pulling her shit,” and the act never lasted long. There was always a certain look in Natasha’s eyes, a tremble of her lower lip, the way she’d slip into “little talk” without even realizing it.

And though Maria still had her moments when she wondered if she was the best fit for a caregiver, that she’d thought for so long that she was little surely she _had_ to be… eventually she’d end up in her chair or leaned up against the headboard with Natasha in her arms, safe and dry in a diaper and sucking on a pacifier or her thumb, curled up against Maria with something a lot like love written in her wide green eyes.

Today though, as Maria finally pulled her car in front of the farmhouse, Natasha’s eyes were dull, and her cheeks flushed. She’d been fussy that morning, but Maria had put it down to Natasha not getting enough sleep the night before. (Maria really had to stop letting Natasha watch television before bed; it seemed to always get her worked up.) Now… she wasn’t so sure. Usually when they drove in the car, Natasha chatted with her easily, if she was big, or played happily with her toys in the passenger seat, when she was little. But for the last half hour of the drive, Natasha was listless, with her head resting against the window, and Maria was worried.

Maria climbed out of the car and moved to Natasha’s side, opening the door and reaching in to unbuckle her seatbelt. “Hey, baby bunny,” she said softly. “We’re here, are you ready to have fun?”

She could hear from the noise inside that the one weekend she’d finally gotten up the nerve to come to the farmhouse… everyone else had too. She could hear Pepper’s light laugh, the low rumble of Steve’s voice, and the happy shouts of Clint and Tony. Maria had hoped there’d be a sort of easing-into this… but she guessed not.

There was no excitement to Natasha’s nod, and Maria frowned. “Do you want to walk, Nat?”

She shook her head. “Up, mama,” she mumbled.

Maria sighed a little; Natasha’s face had gotten redder. “All right, sweetheart. Climb out of the car for me, okay?”

Natasha pushed herself from the seat and nearly tumbled into Maria; the director steadied herself before lifting Natasha into her arms. “You okay, bunny?” she asked, brushing Natasha’s cheek with a kiss, then her eyes widened.

“Oh, honey,” she said, a tone of dread in her voice. “You’re burning up, what’s going on with my little girl?”

“No feel good,” Natasha said, burying her face against Maria’s shoulder.

Maria didn’t think she’d ever seen Natasha sick, not even when she was big. It was a Russian thing, she figured, or a Red Room thing. Either way she was pretty sure that it was an unspoken rule that Natasha never show when she wasn’t feeling up to standard.

Maybe she felt safe enough to reveal it, when she was in her little headspace. Or maybe when she was in her little space there was no hiding it. Maria wasn’t sure which was the truth, possibly a combination of both. Either way… Natasha Romanoff was, apparently, actually sick.

Once up the steps to the front door, Maria was able to just barely turn the knob and shuffle herself and Natasha inside. Tony and Clint stared at the two of them from their positions on the floor, and Laura beamed while Steve and Pepper waved at them.

“You came!” Laura said happily, standing up and coming across to them.

“We came,” Maria said. “Hey, Steve, I hate to ask but can you get my bag out of the car? It’s in the back seat.”

She and Natasha had picked out the diaper bag, a sturdy red-and-black tote with Natasha’s name embroidered on the front. It had endless pockets for the little girl’s diapers and snacks, her books and toys, and she loved it. Maria thought it was cute, the way Natasha would pull everything out and pack it again, always excitedly planning for their next outing together.

“No problem,” Steve said, moving to the door. “Hi there, Nat.”

She waved at him weakly, and Maria turned to Laura.

“Have you got a thermometer?” she asked, anxiously. “I think Natasha’s running a fever.”

“What?” Laura said, concern creasing her face as she laid her hand on Natasha’s forehead. “Oh, no, you poor thing. It’s in the bathroom in the medicine cabinet, need me to show you?”

“I can get it,” Maria said, giving Natasha a slight bounce when the little girl sniffled. She started down the hall to the bathroom, pausing to smile at Pepper.

“How’s it going, Ms. Potts?”

“Better than it seems to be going for you right now,” Pepper said sympathetically. “Let me know if you need a hand.”

Maria nodded, then went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. “Okay, bunny,” she said, “I’m just going to sit you here on the toilet while I find the thermometer, okay?”

“No,” Natasha whined, and clung tighter.

Maria kissed her forehead. “I know you don’t feel good,” she said gently. “I’m going to make it all better, Nat.”

She had no idea how she was going to do that; it wasn’t like she’d ever cared for anyone who was sick before, besides herself. But Natasha didn’t need to know that, did she?

“Mama has to know if you’re running a fever, so I need to take your temperature. Just sit right here for a minute and when it’s all done you can have all the snuggles you want, all right? Please?”

Natasha was shivering now, and Maria’s heart began to ache for her, but she finally nodded. Maria sat her down on the toilet and began to rummage quickly through the cabinet until she found the thermometer.

“Here we go, sweetheart,” she said to Natasha, turning back to her. “Can you put this under your tongue? It won’t take long.”

Natasha grimaced, but did as she was told, a slight pout on her face. If Maria wasn’t so worried, she would’ve thought Natasha, sitting in the bathroom wearing a tee-shirt with an adorable black cat on it, was the cutest thing ever. But her reddened face was slightly terrifying, and the glaring 102.7 on the display of the beeping thermometer didn’t relieve Maria’s fears.

She reached down to pull off Natasha’s pants with the paw prints, her favorite to go with the cat shirt.

“Is anything hurting you?” she asked Natasha, rubbing her back. “Your throat or your tummy?”

Natasha shook her head.

“Are you sure? You need to tell me if you’re hurting, baby.”

“Jus’ tired, Mama.”

“All right, bunny. You can rest all you want,” she said to her.

Laura was waiting outside the bathroom door.

“Think anyone will mind if she’s just in a diaper and shirt?” Maria asked. “She does have a fever and I need to try to cool her off a bit.”

Laura gave Maria a look as if she almost couldn’t believe Maria would ask such a thing, but she simply squeezed Maria’s shoulder. “Of course no one is going to mind,” she said reassuringly. “We just want Natasha to feel better. I’ve got some medicine I’ll put in a cup for her, it usually works when Clint is sick.”

“Thanks,” Maria said, grateful as she followed Laura back into the kitchen. Tony and Clint were still on the floor but now they were quiet, watching as Maria carried Natasha.

“Mommy,” she heard Tony say. “Tasha okay?”

“She’ll be fine, sweet pea,” Pepper answered. “Maria’s taking good care of her.”

Maria smiled, propping Natasha up on the kitchen counter and looking dubiously at the small medicine cup of red liquid Laura handed her.

“She is not going to like this,” Maria said, and Laura laughed.

“Probably not. Welcome to one of the ‘joys’ of being big, Maria Hill.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like calling you a traitor?” Maria muttered, then looked at Natasha.

“All right, kiddo, time to drink.”

Natasha looked at the cup. “… nuh-uh.”

“Yes. This will make you feel better.”

“ _No._ ”

“Joys” of being big, indeed. Maria leaned down so that she was eye-level with Natasha.

“Come on, my little bunny,” she said, not caring that being so close to the sick agent would probably make her sick as well, in the long run. She gently stroked Natasha’s heated cheek with her thumb.

“You don’t have to be a big girl, and I know you don’t feel good and this isn’t going to taste nice. But I _promise_ you’ll feel better soon. You have to drink this. Please, bunny? For mama.”

She lifted the cup to Natasha’s lips, heartened when the little girl didn’t push it away. Natasha’s eyes stayed locked on Maria’s as she finally drained the medicine in one gulp, making a face and choking a little as she did so. Tears streamed down her cheeks and Maria hurried to wrap her arms around her.

“Shhh,” she soothed. “That’s my girl, good girl. Do you want to go sit in the living room with Tony and Clint?”

She felt Natasha nod miserably against her shoulder. “All right then, here we go.”

She gave Pepper and Laura a small smile as she came back into the living room.

“Natasha is sick, isn’t she?” Clint said, sat up on his knees and watching Maria.

“’fraid so, buddy,” Maria said carefully. She wasn’t exactly sure how to address Clint when he was in his little state, but he didn’t seem annoyed by what she had said.

“That stinks,” Clint said, looking slightly offended at the idea, and Maria wanted to laugh. “You’ll make her better though.”

“I hope so,” Maria said. She spied the diaper bag sat on the floor next to Steve’s feet, and she nodded to herself.

“She needs something to drink I think, to get that bad taste out of her mouth.”

Natasha shifted in her arms, and Maria glanced around the room for a second. Pepper was currently looking over the new house Tony had built out of Lego, and Laura was ruffling Clint’s hair, presumably to reassure the little boy that his partner was going to be all right. Steve lounged on the couch; he would’ve looked out of place except that Maria knew why he was there, and how he struggled to find his way in a time that never seemed like it could be his own.

“Hey Rogers, want to Natasha-sit for a minute?”

He seemed just as surprised by the question as Maria did for asking it, but after a split-second hesitation he nodded. Maria grinned and leaned down to hand him Natasha.

“Stay with Steve so Mama can get you something to drink,” she whispered to the little girl, brushing a strand of sweaty hair back from her face. She reached into the diaper bag and tugged out Natasha’s blanket and handed it to her. “I’ll be right back, bunny.”

She pulled the bottle out of the diaper bag and left Steve staring awkwardly down at the redhead in a diaper on his lap.

Once in the kitchen, Maria suddenly found herself struck with what was really going on, and she leaned against the counter to steady herself, taking a couple deep breaths and trying to calm the shaking.

Natasha was sick. Natasha was sick and Maria was meant to take care of her, but she was rarely sick herself. She’d never taken care of a child, much less an adult with the headspace of a child. She had _no clue_ what she was supposed to be doing.

“Hey. You all right, commander?”

She half-turned to look at Pepper, who was standing behind her.

“Am I doing it right?” Maria asked, reaching up to brush aside the hair that had fallen out of the bun at the nape of her neck. “Am I supposed to be leaving her in her diaper and shirt, should I be giving her a cool bath? What should I give her to drink, is milk okay? I-I don’t—“

“Whoa.” Pepper held up a hand. “Is this a freak-out? Because I did not sign up for a freak-out this weekend.”

She was smiling, and Maria laughed in spite of herself. “You’ve been hanging out with Tony too long,” she joked.

“I’ve been told that a time or two. Can’t imagine why.”

Pepper reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a container of apple juice, handing it to Maria. “Milk might upset her stomach since she’s running a fever. This should be fine. Give the medicine time to work, and if it doesn’t, then a bath might help. But what she really needs right now is for you to relax. You’re doing great, so just get over yourself and keep it up.”

“You really think I’m doing great?” Maria asked, pouring the apple juice into the bottle.

Pepper always seemed to have it so together, in every aspect of her life. Maria was sometimes a bit envious of it, even as commander, and director of SHIELD.

“If you weren’t you’d be the first to know.”

Maria stayed behind for a moment, looking out the kitchen window into the Barton backyard. A swing on one side, a tractor on the other. She smiled a little.

Once back inside the living room, she stopped just short of the couch, her eyes widening in shock. Natasha was curled up in Steve’s arms, her head resting against his broad chest as she sucked her thumb. Captain America was alternating between patting her back and stroking her hair, a look of slightly bewildered contentment on his face.

For some reason, it stung Maria, just a little. She knew how much Natasha loved Steve. How good the two of them, former assassin and hero, were for each other. To each other. What good teammates they made.

But this… snuggling… this was her territory, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it Maria’s job to hold Natasha in her arms, like Steve was doing? To pat her and love on her, to be strong for her until she was well again?

But Steve caught sight of Maria and he gave her a lopsided, happy grin, like a big brother allowed to be in charge, and she was once again reminded of the man who didn’t quite understand his role.

 _Get over yourself_.

She moved to sit on the couch next to Steve, ready to hand him the bottle to give to Natasha.

But Natasha’s sleepy eyes snapped open, and Maria found herself pushed back a little into the cushions as she clambered into her lap and wrapped her arms around Maria’s neck.

Pepper chuckled. “Somebody’s a mama’s girl.”

Mama’s girl, Maria thought, as she hugged Natasha to her for a long moment. For so long Maria had thought about being a daddy’s girl, or a mommy’s girl. But somehow… she liked this idea, of Natasha being a mama’s girl. _Her_ girl. This was right.

“Want something to drink, bunny?” she finally asked, patting Natasha’s back.

“I do!” Tony said. “Want drink and banana!”

“You’re going to turn into a banana,” Pepper teased, and Tony gasped.

“I-I can turn into ‘nana?” He seemed both horrified and excited by the idea.

He was wearing a pair of shorts, and a tee-shirt with a microscope on it. Tony wasn’t fond of especially “little” clothes, Pepper had explained to Maria once. So they’d had to adapt.

That seemed to be what this was all about, Maria mused. Adapting.

“That would be _so cool_ ,” Clint said, and Laura shook her head, closing her eyes briefly.

Maria laughed, and tugged at Natasha’s arms until the little girl was forced to release her hold.

“Here,” Maria said, holding up the bottle. “This tastes better than that mean old medicine.”

She saw Natasha eye the bottle, and Maria shifted a little nervously. They’d never used one before. They’d discussed it, but Natasha had never really said how she felt about it either way, so Maria was taking a bit of a gamble, offering it now. She was pretty sure most littles around Natasha’s “age” used sippy cups – Tony did – but Maria had thought maybe a bottle could be used for other times. If Natasha was having trouble sleeping, or if she was sick.

And apparently, Natasha felt the same way. She was still shivering, her hands trembling a little as they grasped around the bottle and brought it to her lips.

“That’s my girl,” Maria whispered, kissing her cheek. “You just rest now, I’ve got you.”

“Mama,” Natasha said around the nipple of the bottle, one hand lightly scratching at Maria’s chest, just over her heart.

Maria smiled and nodded. “That’s right. Mama’s got you.”

Natasha sucked on the bottle for a second, hesitant as if she was deciding whether she liked it or not. Maria closed her hand over Natasha’s own, helping to hold the bottle to her mouth, and finally she gave in and began to drink eagerly.

“Slow down, sweetheart,” Maria chided tenderly. “There’s enough for you.”

“I hate it when the kids are sick,” Laura said with a sigh. “Any of them.”

“Tony’s an absolute grump when he’s sick,” Pepper said affectionately. “Little or big, he’s a nightmare.”

“Am not,” Tony said stubbornly, now building a rudimentary-looking robot out of the Lego. He stopped to gnaw on one, and Clint swiftly snatched it from his hands and replaced it with a pacifier.

“Good job, Clint,” Laura praised, and the little boy grinned up at her.

“And what are you like when you’re sick, buddy?” Steve asked him, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Clint thought for a moment. “I think I’m a good boy,” he finally said, looking up at Laura. She nodded her agreement.

“But I don’t like staying in bed when I’m sick. I want to play!”

“So I put him on the couch when he’s big, or, well, on the couch when he’s little. Give him the remote or his toys and his videos and in a day or so he’s fine.”

“And Mr. Stark here can’t play in his lab when he’s sick, which is probably why he gets grumpy. But mommy makes sure he gets better quick, don’t I?”

Tony scooted over to Pepper’s chair for a hug, which she gave before smiling over at Maria.

“Lots of ways to take care of the kids when they’re sick.”

“I don’t think I can get sick,” Steve mused. “At least it hasn’t happened yet. But if it does, I predict I’ll be very whiny. Just because I can.”

They laughed, and Maria tipped her head down to kiss Natasha’s little girl fingers, that were clinging tightly to the front of her shirt as Natasha drank from her bottle. She could see Natasha’s gaze darting about wildly, taking in everything even as she knew the baby felt awful. This was all new to Natasha as well, and Maria wondered if, especially now she knew Natasha was sick, it hadn’t been a mistake to thrust her into a situation with other littles. Even ones she knew, and had come to trust as friends.

But, well, it was too late now.

On the floor, Tony rose up on his knees suddenly, shifting so that he was in front of Natasha.

“Tony, don’t bother – “ Pepper started to say.

“Robot,” Tony said, holding it out a little shyly towards Natasha. He looked up at Maria. “Good robot, not mean one. Help feel better?”

Natasha’s hand let go of Maria’s shirt and reached out for the robot, gripping it, and Maria smiled.

“Thank you, Tony, that’s very sweet of you. Natasha, what do we say to Tony?”

She pulled the nipple of the bottle out of her mouth with a little pop. “Thanks,” she said, staring at the Lego in her hand.

Tony grinned and clapped his hands. “I gave Tasha robot, Mommy!”

“Yes, you did, baby boy, that’s so nice.”

“Butt kisser,” Clint said with a grumble, and Laura’s eyes narrowed.

“Clint Barton, do we use that kind of language?”

“Well, he _is_. I could give Natasha something too.”

“Yes, you could, instead of being mean when Tony just wanted to do something for Natasha to feel better.”

Clint squinted at Laura, then looked over at Tony, who was currently pouting at him. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “Don’t like it when Nat is sick.” He scuttled back over to sit with his back against Laura’s chair, leaning his head into her hand as Laura once again played with his short-cropped hair.

“I don’t think any of us do,” Maria said, watching the littles in their interactions. Tony was leaning against Pepper now, too, and Maria briefly wondered how Laura and Pepper managed the size difference between themselves and their littles. True, Natasha wasn’t _small_ , certainly not a size that matched her internal age, but she was little enough that Maria could carry her easily, and cuddling wasn’t a difficulty at all. They fit into the rocker at home, even if it was a bit of a tight squeeze. She could only imagine the acrobatics that Pepper and Laura might have to do in order to properly snuggle with their littles.

Maria was distracted from her thoughts by a nudge to her chest. She glanced down to see Natasha staring up at her. Her cheeks were a little less pink, which made the worry ease up, but only slightly.

“What’s wrong, bunny?”

Natasha held up the mostly empty bottle, then bit her lip.

“Wet, Mama,” she finally whispered, as if she was embarrassed that the others might hear.

Maria kissed Natasha’s cheek, grateful that she didn’t seem as heated as she had when they first arrived. “Let’s go get you changed, then,” she said, knowing that Natasha probably wouldn’t like it being announced, but if they were going to keep coming to the farm, Maria supposed both of them would have to get used to it. There was nothing to be ashamed of, after all.

“I’ll put the bottle in the kitchen to wash,” Pepper said, and Maria nodded her thanks as she scooped Natasha up into her arms.

“Mind if I use your guest room?” she asked Laura.

“Maria,” Laura said kindly but firmly, “We all know who we are, here. You don’t have to ask about things like that.”

“I was being _polite_ ,” Maria said, but she was grinning, and Laura returned it in full measure.

“Need this?” Steve said, holding up the diaper bag, and Maria shouldered it.

“Thanks, Cap. You know, you’re really good at helping me take care of Natasha.”

He blushed, making him look a lot younger than his ninety-five years. Maria winked at him, then quickly mounted the stairs to the guest room.

She pulled the small changing towel out of the diaper bag and draped it onto the bed – really, she was getting great about doing that one-handed – before depositing Natasha gently down onto it. Natasha whined and Maria shushed her with a soft rub to her belly where the tee-shirt had slid up, exposing her warm skin.

“It’s all right, baby,” she said, then gave Natasha a light tickle. “Want your pacifier before we get started?”

Natasha shoved Maria’s hand away from her belly, but nodded. “Yes, Mama.”

Laura had given the pacifier with the little brown bunny to Maria, since Natasha had taken such a liking to it, and it hadn’t specifically belonged to anyone. Maria pulled it out of the front pocket of the diaper bag and slipped it in between Natasha’s lips.

“There we go. Now let’s get you all cleaned up and dry.”

She quickly unfastened Natasha’s wet diaper, wrapping it up in a plastic bag, then tossing it into the trashcan in the bathroom. Coming back to the bed she saw that Natasha was sucking the pacifier drowsily, her eyes closed as she still shivered a little.

“Let’s see,” Maria said, rifling through the diapers in the bag. “Do we want princesses or stars… Hm. I think stars.”

Natasha didn’t answer in her half-asleep state, though she whimpered when Maria began to clean her off with the baby wipes tucked in the bottom of the diaper bag.

“I know, it’s cold,” Maria soothed. “My poor bunny, hold on. Mama’s almost done, then we’ll get you all warm again.”

She did spend a little extra time wiping her though, since she thought the cool cloths could only help bring Natasha’s fever down, even if she didn’t feel nearly as hot as she had earlier. Still, she didn’t want to _torture_ the girl, so Maria finished up, then had to do most of the work in getting Natasha to shift so that she could slip the clean diaper under her. She powdered Natasha then fastened the diaper, leaning down to lightly kiss Natasha’s forehead.

“Why don’t you take a nap, bunny? I’ll just be—“

“No!” Natasha’s eyes flew open and she clung to Maria. “Mama no go, m’okay.”

Maria had to support herself on the bed with one hand as Natasha held onto her. “All right, okay, I won’t go anywhere. We can go back downstairs and rest on the couch.”

“This sucks,” Natasha suddenly muttered, and Maria raised an eyebrow.

Natasha slipped easily in between her headspaces sometimes, since she still wasn’t fully ready to accept her status as a little. It was getting more comfortable for her, but there was always that small element of mistrust that would’ve hurt Maria’s feelings if she didn’t understand it completely.

“Are babies supposed to say things suck?” she teased lightly, sitting onto the bed and pulling Natasha into her arms.

“Prob’ly not,” Natasha said, tucking her head into Maria’s neck. “But I’m allowed. I don’t get sick.”

Maria hummed a little and rocked Natasha close to her. “Right now makes me think you kind of do,” she said, running her fingers through her hair.

“Don’t like it,” Natasha said, back into her little space just as easily as she had slipped out, and Maria smiled ruefully.

“I don’t like it either, baby,” she said, and reached her hand to feel Natasha’s forehead. “But, I think your fever has gone down so I think you’re going to be just fine.”

Natasha just snuggled closer, rubbing her cheek against Maria’s shoulder. After a moment, Maria felt her lean into her ear.

“Mama?”

Her voice was shy, and Maria perked up, sensing that this was going to be something important. Natasha never sounded like that unless she was uneasy with expressing her feelings.

“What is it, Nat?”

There was a pause.

“… feel better with you.”

Tears rushed to Maria’s eyes and she hugged Natasha to herself. “Well, I’m glad about that, baby.”

“My mama,” Natasha said around the pacifier still in her mouth. “Don’t want ‘nother.”

Maria thought back to her meltdown in the kitchen. How she’d been so worried if she was doing everything _right_ , giving Natasha everything she needed while she was sick. The right drink, the right medicine, the right care. Whether Natasha preferred to be on Steve’s lap instead of her own.

And as it turned out, all Natasha needed… was _her_.

Maria’s mind turned to the night they had bonded, how Natasha had clung to her then as she was now, and how at that moment, it had seemed as if no one else existed in the world except for the two of them.

Made for each other.

“Don’t you worry,” Maria said, giving Natasha a gentle squeeze, then lifting her up and preparing to carry her downstairs so that maybe she could play with Clint and Tony.

“I don’t want another bunny, either.”


End file.
